Apparatus for planting potatoes or seeds.



Nu. 693,7l6. Patented Feb. l8, I902. C. L. JERVIS.

APPARATUS FOR PLANTING POTATOES 0B SEEDS.

(Application filed Dec. 2. 1901.\

(No Model.)

IHE NORRIS PETERS co PncTuum/J WASHINGTON. u. c.

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CECIL LEONARD JERVIS, OF NEIVARK, ENGLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,716, dated February18, 1902. Application filed December 2, 1901. Serial No. 84,492. (Nomodel.)

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, CECIL LEONARD J ERVIS, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at Norton Disney, Newark-on-Trent, in the countyof Nottingham, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in or Relating to Apparatus for Planting Potatoes or Seeds,of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficientapparatus by means of which potatoes and seeds may be planted at regularintervals and in one or more rows simultaneously. Said apparatus may bedesigned for hand use, or it may be arranged in connection with avehicle for use with horse or motor power. In both cases a saving inlabor and time is effected.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrating myinven tion, the figure is aperspective View.

According to this invention, as designed with a handle 9 for hand useand shown in the accompanying drawing, 1 group a suitable number oftubes at, the upper ends of which are hinged or otherwise flexiblyconnected together at b, so as to enable their lower ends to beseparated more or less, according to the desired spacing out. The lowerends of the tubes are connected to each other by slotted bars 0, pivotedat d d to the central tube, through the slots of which bars boltsattached to the tubes may work, winged nuts e being provided on saidbolts to set or secure the tubes in their desired position. Any otherequivalent means may be employed for adjusting and setting purposes, orsuch devices may be dispensed with and the tubes fixed in position. Itwill thus be seen that the tubes radiate from a point above their upperends, and it is understood that two or more of such sets of tubes may bearranged together as one apparatus, according to the number of rows tobe planted simultaneously.

In using this hand apparatus the laborer rests the tubes in the trenchand feeds the potatoes or the seed one into each upper end thereof byhand from a suitable receptacle secured to his person, as illustrated,after which he moves the tubes to the next position, guided by a gage f,attached to the tubes, and feeds again, and so on.

In applying the apparatus for horse or mo tor power the tubes arearranged radially from a hollow hub into which the potatoes or seeds arefed by any suitable means in such a manner that the tubes are as tubularspokes of a Wheel (or a portion of a wheel) which is capable ofrevolving or oscillating. Hence a horse-propelled machine or apparatusmay comprise more than one such wheel or part of a wheel. The tubes maybe formed to telescope in order to vary the intervals of setting byshortening or lengthening them. A convenient arrangement of this latterapparatus consists in combining same with a trenching or plowing andcovering implement, so that as the implement is propelled it first plowsthe trench, then plants the potatoes or seed, and finally rakes over theearth to cover the potatoes or seeds.

I claim- 1. Apparatus for planting potatoes and seeds, consisting of aplurality of tubes, the upper ends of which adjoin each other and thelower ends of which are separated a distance equal to the desiredspacing out, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a plurality of tubes arranged as described, offlexible connections between the upper ends of said tubes and means forregulating and fixing the lower ends of said tubes in their desiredseparated position substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a plurality of tubes arranged as described, ofan adjustable gage, whereby to determine the position or distance thenext planting should be from the potatoes or seeds already planted,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of aplurality of sets of tubes arranged as described,each set being flexibly connected to the next set and provided withmeans whereby to permit of adjustment to the desired distance apart ofthe trenches, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- IIGSSGS.

CECIL LEONARD JERVIS. Witnesses:

GEORGE O. Downmo, WALTER J. SKERTEN.

